The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-09-28
AROYAL SCANDAL.
A New York Woman Claims that She Is the
First Born of Englapd's Queen.

| Caroline r. Guelph. the name by which a
| woman, at present ia New York makes herself
known is about TO publish a book which Is des-
tined to worry the Crown Prince of Germany:
| and may even attract the notice of the ruler or
| Enc gland and Empress of India In short. this
| woman claims she is the first born OF Prince
Albert and Victoria Guelph, while the wife or
| Germany's Crown Prince is the daughter of a
| German countess. who was morganatcaiiy mar
| red to Albert prior to his attachment to the
! Queen OF England. Whether this woman, who
| is also known the Princess Sophia Adelaide,
is merely an adventuress, borrowing her idea
from Gibert's mixing up of Rackstraw and
| Capt. Corcoran in "Pinafore," is not stated. but
there is small probability of her story gaining
| credence.
The New York Times of Sunday printed
part of the womans story, from which the fol-
/ lowing is taken
be the eldest daughter of Victoria, Queen OF
| England. She claims to have been defrauded of
| her rights and to be the real Princess Victoria.
| formerly princess Royal of England, and now
| the wife of the Crown prince of Germany. Her
claims seem naturally preposterous. 1t is. how
| ever, said to be substantiated TO a degree that
| makes it somewhat interesting. Ii 1t should
happen by any strange chance to be true, the
scandal of the century has appeared.
About four months ago there came to this
| city from Paris a lady about forty years of age.
| AS she appeared yesterday she was short to
degree that might be termed squattv, with steel
| blue eyes, two in number, heavy eyebrows, and
a rather heavy, somewhat coarsely nodded. face.
| Her ample cheek has down upon it; so had Mrs.
! Guelph's. Her hands white and delicate
/ q
strong resemblance in face and figure to that
/ Queen of England whose daughter she claims to
| be- The prevalent portrait of Queen Victoria
shows her with white cap upon her head,
| which partially frames her face. When Caro-
| line P. Guelph. or whatever her real name Is,
| drapes her head in white shawl. as she some
| times does in of hand way. the resemblance
| is remarkable. A photograph of hers would be
| instantly declared by the average person to be
the picture of daughter of the Queen She
| does not depend greatly upon the resent lance,
| however. She is very cool and very serious IN
her claim, and relies upon what she regards as
| facts.
| publication 1t would have been cabled to New
York by II vieilant New York correspondent in
| Paris some time ago had she permitted. After
| her arrival here she received a very substantial
| offer for 1t from publisher. She declined pub
! liclty at that time, however she was on the
| pension roll of the British government accord
| ing to her story and did not desire to altogether
destroy what for years had been her means of
| support, and hopes of recognition. Now. how
| ever, her attempts to obtain favor and support
| having proved futile, she has written book
| setting forth her history with documents, CORE
spondents. etc. intended to establish its anthem
| ITCHY, and her book. unless 1t is changed at
birth, she thinks she was, will appear next
week. Bedford & Clarke of No. 384 Broadway.
are the publishers. Mr.. Bedford thinks he has
| gotten hold of very good thing. He
| is seriously inclined to believe her
| story, which Is somethiDe remarkable
| on his part he being her pubiisher. An epidemic
| of faintng fits in England may consequently be
| confidently expected about tbs middle OF next
| week. which will quite make England forget
| the defeat of the Thistle. Frederick William, of
| Germany, will if he is wise have large quanti-
| ties of smelling salts at hand in the dispensary
of the palace, because what will be done by Vic
toria, princess imperial of Germany, princess
royal of Prussia, princess royal of Great Britain
and Ireland, duchess of Saxonv. when she hears
the news no ordinary plebean could with any
| certainty predict.
Mr. Alexander Bedford said last evening that,
while ne could not vouch for the truth OF the
womans story, it was very plausible, and one
80 III had FAD fhn Nirn ncton 0nf
| the morganatic marriage of her alleged royal
| father. He also claimed the resem blence of the
Princess Adelaide, as he speaks of her. to Queen
| Victoria was most striking, while the crown
| princess Of Germany bore resemblance to the
Guelph family. Mr.. Belford received last even
| ing from his brother in New York the following
| telegram. giving in brief the woman's story,
| which she is soon to publish:
| Prince Albert, before his marriage with Queen
| Victoria, married morganatlcally to the
| Countess Reuss. in Germany, in November.
| 1910 Queen Victoria and the countess gave
| birth to female children almost at the same
time. The countess, under a threat of exposure.
| compelled Prince Albert to exchange the two in
fants. substitution which was effected through
the intervention of the royal nurse The Queens
child was taken to France in charge of Lady
Anna Campbell, and was brought up in her care
until her eighth year at Posse, near France, a
| Bavarian servant named Peter Seldi being their
| protector. The Queens child was called Sophia
| Adelaide. The countess child in the royal
household in ENGLAND. was brought mp
| as a princess, and is wife of the
| crown prince of Germany. In 1848, or
thereabouts, Sophia Adelaide, then about
eight years old, was sent to a convent near
| Munich in Bavaria, where she was educated for
| few years. She afterward taken to
| Scheswig- Holstein, where she and Lady Anna
| Campbell lived for some time in the house of
friend and agent of Prince Albert named Count
| de Lundi, who passed uncle to Sophia Ade-
laide. In his charge and that of Lady Anne.
| Sophia Adelaide went to Italy and France, and
afterward, when about twelve years old, to the
Isle of Bourbon in the Indian ocean. They soon
removed to Quito. in South America and thence
n.l.xn &hc 1ok, ha,v, h,~t,k 81
The cholera was making great ravages. and
they removed for precaution to Dayton, O..
where her protector, the Count de Lundi. took
cholera and died. Before his death he disclosed
to Sophia Adelaide the mystery of her birth, and
gave her a medallion with the portrait of her
mother, Queen Victoria. This death-bed dis
closure was made in the presence and in the
hearing of Dr. Bradbeck, the attending
physician, and Father Hahn. Hahe-
mann, the officiating priest. In order to
give Sophia Adelaide the protection of his name
the Count de Lund married her his death
bed, Father Hahn performing the ceremony. A
few months later Lady Anna died and Sophia
| Adelaide tnow the widowed countess of Lundi)
was left alone in a strange country. She then
went to live at New Orleans with the family of
viousy made. She in receipt of hand
some pension from Europe. Her father wrote
urging her return thither, but she was afraid of
being immured in convent and declined and
left New Orleans for Dayton by the Mississippi
steamer Rainbow which. however. was burned
on the trip and sunk. about one hundred lives
being lost. Sophia Adelaide. though severely
scalded by steam, was saved. but all her papers
and trunks were lost she reached Dayton, and
afterward, in 1859. married American physi-
clan of Kentucky. In 1861 her father died.
| In 1870 she obtained a divorce from her hus-
band and returned to Europe, travelling there for
several years. All this time her pension had
been regularly paid to her through Rev. Edward
Bouverie. of Colehill, England. About 1876 it
was suddenly stopped She had become ac-
quainted with John Brown. Queen Victoria's
Highland servant. and appealed to him regard
ing her pension and he sent her money on two
| or three occasions, but he died in 1882, and she
has since been without regular means of sup
port. She states that she has appealed to her
royal connections for justice and recognition. but
in vain and she has returned to America
| TO appeal to public opinion here and see if she
cannot get justice in that way. She is now in
New York experimenting the publication of the
story of her life which is expected to be out in a